It Happened on the Underground Railroad: Remarkable Events that Shaped History

by Tricia Martineau Wagner

Overview

From a riverboat worker who dressed as a woman to the abolitionist who died for his beliefs, It Happened on the Underground Railroad offers a gripping look at heroic individuals who became a part of the famous “road” to freedom. Read about Peter Still, a former slave who came to the Philadelphia Antislavery Society in search of his family, only to discover that the man sitting in front of him was his brother. Meet the individuals who may have inspired characters in the novels Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Beloved. Learn about the bakery where Frederick Douglass was first helped to freedom. Andexperience the heart-pounding fear of a man who mailed himself north.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493015740
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/14/2015
Series:	It Happened in America
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Tricia Martineau Wagner is a presenter, independent research historian, and the author of It Happened on the Oregon Trail, Black Cowboys of the Old West, and African American Women of the Old West (all Globe Pequot Press). She lives in Denver, North Carolina.

Read an Excerpt

Solomon Northrup held his aching head in his hands as he winced in pain. Fragmented visions of the previous night floated in his mind: two men; dinner and draught at a tavern; the sudden onset of feeling ill. Then visions of Solomon’s hometown of Sarasota Springs, New York came to mind: images of his wife and family; the hack he drove for the hotel; carpentry work; playing his violin for his three children. Suddenly an intense shooting pain brought Solomon Northrup slowly to consciousness. The weight and the sound of clinking chains fully awakened him.

A sliver of light came from a barred window high on the wall, barely illuminating a sole wooden bench in the small room. He sat up abruptly and adjusted his eyes to the dark. The dank smell indicated he was below ground. Solomon was chained in shackles and caged up like an animal in a dungeon. This was no dream from his bed in Sarasota Springs—it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Selected Routes of the Underground Railroad The Twelve-Year Mistake—1841 On a Dare—Mid 1860s What Goes Around Comes Around—1864 In the Dark of Night—1859 Downriver—Mid 1850s My Better Half—1846 Remember Me—1850 Mission Impossible—1851 This Side Up—1849 Seven Years in Hiding—1835 Freedom Train—1857 Read All About It!—1850 The Art of Passing—1848 The House on the Hill—1838 I Have Come Back—1841 At What Price?—1848 The Devil—1838 A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes—1846 Caught Between Black and White—1848 Baker’s Special—Mid 1840s Where To, Sir?—1855 Reading the Stars—1847 The Eleventh Hour—1848 The Letter of the Law—1848 Not My Child—1856 Up a Tree—1854 Underground Railroad Facts and Trivia Bibliography Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"The Underground Railroad was never one nationwide organization, but rather a network of like-minded people. The 'conductors' and 'agents' of the railroad were made up of individuals and groups; black and white; men and women; free men, ex-slaves, and even slaves. It included people of religion, and of no religion, those with financial resources and those who scraped for a living. This well-researched account of some of these people is informative, valuable, and a pleasure to read. It Happened on the Underground Railroad should definitely be on your 'must read' list."—Ed Diaz, President of the Association for African American Historical Research and Preservation

From the Publisher